Centre Ministers in Vrindavan announce new STP in Mathura, ferry service on Yamuna

Vrindavan, 2016.08.18 (IANS): Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti on Wednesday said the Centre was committed to cleaning up the Yamuna river and start ferry service between Vrindavan and Agra in Uttar Pradesh within two years.

In a major meeting held in Vrindavan, where she had gone to launch the second phase of the Namami Gange project, she said the Yamuna will become navigable for steamers and motor boats within two years.

Drains opening into the Yamuna in Mathura and Vrindavan will be diverted and more water released into the river. now that the Haryana government has agreed to cooperate and help meet the demand by the Yamuna activists for more water, the minister said.

Treated water from sewage treatment plants in Mathura and Vrindavan will now be used by the Mathura Oil Refinery, for which a memorandum of understanding has been signed. The refinery daily uses some two lakh litres of water.

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari also gave assurances that the river would be cleaned up.

Bharati thanked Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for signing the memorandum of understanding for setting up of an effluent treatment plant and using the treated water for use in Indian Oil’s Mathura refinery.

The Effluent Treatment Plant at an estimated cost of Rs. 40 crore in Mathura. The plant will convert solid waste extracted from polluted Yamuna water into energy for industrial and agricultural use..

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

At the same time, the Prime Minister’s Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched today by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in the presence of other ministers, MPs and MLAs.

Women from families below the poverty line (BPL) from the state were handed over liquified petroleum gas (LPG) connections by the dignitaries to mark the launch of the PMUY.

In his address, Mr. Gadkari said that the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana fulfills the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister to provide clean fuel to families below the poverty line (BPL) and is a boon for women to experience cooking without smoke.

Addressing the large gathering, Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, further explained the modalities of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and said that the scheme would benefit women from poor families in a major way by reducing problems related to cooking with polluting fuels, including reducing indoor pollution from smoke and resultant health-related problems.

He said that his ministry is committed towards 100% LPG penetration in Mathura district for everyone. He said that in the last 100 days around 50 lakh LPG connections under the scheme have already been distributed.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has taken a series of welfare oriented schemes. The Prime Minister made an appeal to well-to-do families to give up their subsidies for LPG connections so that the money thus saved can be used for giving connections to less privileged homes.

The ‘Give It Up’ campaign resulted in more than 1 crore people across the country from all walks of life, including those from middle class, coming forward to support this initiative in a little over an year’s time.

Another scheme by The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas which has received worldwide recognition is the immensely successful “PAHAL Yojana.” This direct cash transfer scheme effectively curbed leakage of LPG subsidies, ensuring a more focused reach and eliminating duplicate LPG connections.

The “PAHAL” scheme has been acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest cash transfer program (households) in the world. Currently, close to 16 crore LPG customers are receiving their subsidy directly in to their bank accounts.

Speaking in in Vrindavan, where she had gone to launch a project under the ‘Namami Gange’ project, she said the Yamuna will become navigable for steamers and motor boats within two years.

The drains opening into the Yamuna in Mathura and Vrindavan will be diverted and more water released into the river as the Haryana government had agreed to cooperate and help meet the demand for water from the Yamuna activists, the minister said.